Faolan
An Irish masculine name meaning "little wolf", derived from the Irish Gaelic term for wolf.
Name Census estimates that about 187 living Americans carry the first name Faolan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Faolan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Faolan births was 2023 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Faolan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
187
~ 1 in 1,832,911 Americans
Peak year
2023
23 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,250
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Faolan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Faolan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 100 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Faolan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Faolan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Faolan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Faolan
The name Faolan is of Irish Gaelic origin, originating from the old Irish word "fáelán" or "fáelóg", which means "little wolf" or "wolf cub". It comes from the root word "faol", meaning "wolf". The name has been in use since ancient times in Ireland and other Celtic regions.
Faolan is a masculine name that has been popular among Irish and Scottish families for centuries. In Irish folklore and mythology, wolves were often associated with strength, courage, and loyalty, and the name Faolan was likely given to children to imbue them with these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Faolan comes from the 6th century, when it was mentioned in the Annals of Ulster, an ancient chronicle that recorded events in Ireland from the 5th to the 16th century. The Annals of Ulster mention a king named Faolan mac Crundmáel, who ruled over the Kingdom of Leinster in the mid-6th century.
In the 12th century, the name appeared in the Lebor na hUidre, an ancient Irish manuscript that contains some of the oldest surviving stories from the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. One of the characters in these stories is a warrior named Faolan, who is known for his bravery and skill in battle.
Over the years, several notable individuals have borne the name Faolan. One of the most famous was Faolan McCool (c. 1590-1670), an Irish soldier and mercenary who fought in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 17th century. Another notable Faolan was Faolan O'Reilly (c. 1620-1698), an Irish Catholic priest and writer who wrote extensively on Irish history and culture.
In more recent times, the name has been carried by individuals such as Faolan Duffy (1916-2009), an Irish writer and poet, and Faolan O'Donnell (1925-2003), an Irish politician who served as a member of the Irish parliament.
While the name Faolan has its roots in ancient Irish and Celtic culture, it has continued to be used in modern times, both in Ireland and among Irish diaspora communities around the world.
People
Faolan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Faolan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with F
Other first names starting with F with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Faolan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Faolan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 187 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Faolan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,832,911 US residents.
Is Faolan a common name?
We classify Faolan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 188 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Faolan most popular?
The single biggest year for Faolan was 2023, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Faolan is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Faolan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Faolan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.